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Singapore. Asian textiles, once considered a fading industry, are now showing strong growth prospects thanks to technology and demand from expanding middle classes, a leading industry player said.

Known in the past for alley shops churning out cheap materials, many Asian companies are losing their sweatshop image as they move to compete globally, said Paul Hulme, president of Huntsman Textile Effects.

Stricter environmental standards required by Western countries are prompting consolidation and innovation in the industry, said Hulme, whose company is one of the world’s top suppliers of textile dyes and chemicals.

It moved its headquarters from Basel, Switzerland to Singapore in March to be closer to its Asian customer base .

“These sweatshops and poor facilities — that is changing,” Hulme said.

“When I visit our customers, I’m impressed with the facilities in terms of the equipment, in terms of the housekeeping standards and the way they treat their employees. I would not pretend that sweatshops don’t exist. I’m sure you can go to parts of India and China where that is the case. But I think that image will change.”

Hulme said the global textile dyes and chemicals market was worth $16 billion, and Asia accounts for some 45 percent of total consumption, much of it destined for export markets.

“The market is changing, customer taste and demand is changing. For example, as you go into the provinces in China, the spending power is increasing,” said Hulme.

“In this business, the future is in Asia. It’s going to be driven from Asia, not from Europe and America. You’ve got to be part of the region.”

China, Bangladesh and India are the world’s top textile producers and are major consumers. Pakistan and Southeast Asia are important and growing players.

Apart from apparel, a major driver for the industry is demand for “technical textiles” or fabrics used in cars, mattress covers, bags, tents and parachutes, among others, Hulme said.

Car fabrics that do not fade easily even in extreme heat enhance the vehicle’s resale value, and there is rising demand for fire-resistant materials in the construction sector as well, he said.

In the medical field, chemicals are incorporated in surgeons’ gowns to repel blood and dirt, raising the hygiene level.

As Asia’s spending power rises, “people want different products and that’s going to lead to the development of a whole new market for technical textiles which didn’t exist before,” said Hulme.

The market for technical textiles is likely to grow by 20 percent per year over the next decade, he said, urging Asian companies to ride the growth by moving up to higher value-added products.

Agence France-Presse